
Explore Alexa voice services and gadgets, and learn to build voice-enabled devices and a smart mirror using AVS device SDK, Raspberry Pi, and a speaker on a road map.
Discover what Alexa voice service is, why to use AVS, and how Alexa built-in products leverage cloud-based AVS with skills, hardware kits, and APIs.
Explore the AVS device SDK architecture, from ASP and ACL to wake-word engines and directives, and learn how channels, focus management, and the media player enable Alexa interactions.
Learn how to set up the AVS device SDK, select compatible platforms (ubuntu, mac os, android, raspberry pi), and register a security profile for login with amazon.
Install the AVS device SDK on a Raspberry Pi, talk to the device, and customize it with visual and audio indicators and rebuild the sample app for Alexa responses.
Discover how to turn a two-way mirror into a smart talking display by building a magic mirror, integrating with Alexa voice services on a Raspberry Pi, and customizing widgets.
Install and configure a Magic Mirror on a Raspberry Pi using html, css, and MagicMirror2 modular platform with installable modules, using Electron as the app wrapper and pm2 for auto-start.
Learn how to configure the MagicMirror by editing config.js, managing modules, and adding weather and news feeds with an OpenWeatherMap API key and CNN IBN RSS, then relaunch the app.
Integrate Magic Mirror with AVS to turn it into a smart mirror and control calendar events via Alexa voice commands, syncing Google Calendar with the mirror.
Assemble a smart mirror with a two-way mirror, wooden frame, HDMI monitor, microphone, speaker, and Raspberry Pi to enable Alexa.
Explore making the smart mirror smarter by personalizing features, playing music, and capturing pictures using Alexa voice services, AVS, and tools like Lambda, SQS, and IAM.
Explore AWS components for Alexa projects by learning what SQS is, its standard and FIFO queues, and how IAM and Lambda enable a secure process workflow between producers and consumers.
Build a selfie mirror by configuring an Amazon SQS queue, creating an Alexa skill, and a Lambda function, then coding shell scripts and Python on a Raspberry Pi.
Develop a mirror Alexa skill using a lambda function with boto3 posting to SQS, triggered by Alexa; run Python on Raspberry Pi and shell scripts to capture images with fswebcam.
Learn to customize the mirror to play a YouTube playlist using mps-youtube, configure youtube-dl and pafy, and pause, resume, or close playback with Linux commands on a Raspberry Pi.
Learn Linux process commands like ps and kill to control playback scripts for a smart mirror, and modify the Alexa skill to connect with the AVS device.
Explore how Alexa gadgets pair with Echo devices via Bluetooth to extend voice interactions using buttons, lights, and motors, and learn about directives, events, and the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit.
Explore the Alexa gadgets toolkit, interfaces, and the AVS API, and learn how directives and events drive discovery, bluetooth pairing, and gadget interaction with Alexa skills.
Design a Raspberry Pi based Alexa gadget by meeting hardware requirements, registering the gadget, enabling Bluetooth pairing, and connecting it to the Echo using the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit.
Explore how the sample projects work, starting with the kitchen sink, showing the .ini and Python files, their naming, and how callbacks log directives and reveal gadget capabilities.
Design and build an alphabet tester gadget with a colorcycler LED, RFID reader, and Raspberry Pi, creating the Alexa skill and lambda function to tell alphabet facts.
Finish the Alphabet Tester gadget by writing and reading RFID tag data with a Raspberry Pi over SPI, installing libraries, and scripting the Alexa gadget with configuration and testing.
Explore Alexa voice services and gadgets by building a smart mirror with AVS device sdk, enabling calendar updates, music playback, and photo commands.
Update July 2022
Bill of Materials Update
Hello learners, Welcome to MAKERDEMY’s "Exploring Alexa Voice Services and Alexa Gadgets" course. If you are looking for that one course that will help you gain the confidence in the development of voice-enabled products, you have come to the right place.
With numerous custom made illustrations and animations, we have set the standard in terms of production quality. All so that you can have a terrific learning experience.
This course is meant for anyone who wants to build customized voice-enabled devices and fun-filled Alexa Gadgets.
If you are an engineer who wants to start working with voice-first technology or a hobbyist looking to make cool projects using voice-interactions you will find this course very useful. This is because we have tailored this course by giving equal importance to both the projects as well as the concepts.
So come join me in this advanced-level course on Exploring Alexa Voice Services and Alexa Gadgets. I am looking forward to being your instructor and hearing about all the wonderful projects you were able to build leveraging the Alexa Voice Services.
What you’ll learn
You can build your own Alexa-enabled device , a Smart Mirror , that can talk to you and listen to you.
You can customize the device and enable it to do chores for you.
You can build a fun-filled Alexa gadget which can be controlled using voice.
You can come up with many creative ideas which can solve the practical problems using voice-controlled technology.
Are there any course requirements or prerequisites?
Completing our “Learn Alexa the fun way” course is recommended so as to get familiarised with Alexa Skill Development
Basic understanding of Raspberry Pi , Python and node js is required.
Familiarity with Shell Scripting and Linux Commands
Creative minds with full of innovative ideas
Problem Solving ability.
Who this course is for:
A hobbyist who is into the voice-first technology
A student with a basic understanding of electronics and programming and wishes to explore the technology behind voice-enabled devices
An engineer who wants to do fast prototyping of projects using the Alexa Voice Services